Alexander Isak offered a little wink as he left the St James' Park pitch after Liverpool rescued a point at Newcastle. The Swede was back at his former home for the first time since forcing his exit from the Magpies, and he was widely booed by the home crowd. They jeered his every error, but the striker was able to celebrate a late equaliser with his team-mates.
Late Penalty Denies Newcastle
Dominik Szoboszlai's penalty in the 99th minute made the game 2-2 late on, denying Newcastle the three points. Isak led the line for Liverpool but found it hard to impact the game. The forward's best chance came in the second half when he fired in a shot from the edge of the box. It blazed over, with the Newcastle fans taking great joy in cheering his miss. Isak was able to avoid losing on his return to Newcastle and offered a wink after the final whistle, reports the Chronicle.
Hostile Reception Expected
Given the acrimonious nature of his exit from the north east, Andoni Iraola admits he knew a hostile reception was coming from those who used to cheer his name. The Liverpool boss said: "I think he expected a little bit the atmosphere, I don't think [it] has been a big surprise for him. I think he has tried everything, has given us good positions on the ball."
"[He] probably has had a couple of situations to finish inside the box, but probably not the clearest that he wanted or we wanted, but I value that. He has continued pushing on in the game, fighting, and I think it's a good step for Alex for being the first game."
Penalty Taker Praise
Once Liverpool were awarded the stoppage time penalty, attention turned to who may take it, especially with Mohamed Salah now gone. Isak was a contender, but in the end Szoboszlai stepped up and hammered home emphatically. Iraola insists Liverpool could go in a number of directions with their penalty taker, but praised the quality of his Hungarian midfielder.
He said: "I think we have not only Dom and Alexander [Isak] – we have more very good specialists. Alexis [Mac Allister] also was on the pitch and he's a very good penalty-taker, Cody – we have a lot. But I think Dom showed the level. It's an almost impossible penalty to stop."
"I was happy obviously because at the end we recovered one point. I also think there is a clearer penalty before the Victor [Munoz] one to Victor again, but I think the referee whistles just before, so they cannot give it to you, but I think it was even more clear than the second one. I'm happy also for Victor because he has created problems to his opposition and I think these players from the bench that can alter games are going to be important for us."
